Russia Marines Patch — Embroidered Patch The Black Death — Russian Naval Infantry They earned their fearsome nickname from the Germans in World War II — "Chernaya Smert," the Black Death — for their black uniforms and ferocious combat performance along the Black Sea and Baltic coasts. The Russian Naval Infantry represents one of the oldest marine forces in the world, a tradition of amphibious warfare stretching back over three centuries to the age of Tsar Peter the Great. The Russian Naval Infantry was officially established on November 16, 1705, when Peter the Great formed the first "regiment of naval equipage" for boarding and landing operations with the Baltic Fleet. The regiment won its first major victory against the Swedes at the Battle of Gangut in 1714. Russian Marines have fought in the Napoleonic Wars, defending Sevastopol during the Crimean War, Port Arthur during the Russo-Japanese War, and across every front of both World Wars. During World War II, approximately 350,000 Soviet naval personnel fought on land, organized into 40 naval infantry brigades, defending Leningrad, Odessa, Sevastopol, and Stalingrad. Disbanded in 1947, the Naval Infantry was re-established in 1961 and has served as an elite shock force across every Russian fleet — Northern, Pacific, Baltic, Black Sea, and Caspian. Perfect For: Military historians, collectors of international military insignia, Cold War era enthusiasts, students of amphibious warfare doctrine, and anyone fascinated by the centuries-long tradition of Russian naval infantry. Three centuries of amphibious warfare — the Black Death endures.
